Search crews recover body of swimmer at Hyrum Reservoir

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HYRUM RESERVOIR, Utah -- Search and rescue crews have recovered the body of a young man who drowned at Hyrum Reservoir Friday.

Crews confirmed around 8:15 p.m. that the body of the swimmer was located and recovered from the reservoir.

The identity of the deceased has not yet been released.

According to the Cache County Sheriff's Office, rescue units responded to a 911 call about a possible drowning at the reservoir just before 2:30 p.m.

16-year old Taydon Burbank said about 30 high school kids were cliff jumping after school in a popular area called "Big Toe" on the east side of Hyrum reservoir.

He said it's a spot kids hang out at during the summer, and they have been for years. Burbank said one teen asked a friend if he should do a front flip, before the teen jumped.

"He just flipped, and when he flipped he just over-rotated and then came down on his stomach," Burbank explained.

He said the teen came up, looked like he was taking a breath, and then went back under the water.

At first, others thought the teen was purposely dipping back under the water, but Burbank said people became worried and started to scream and yell when the teen didn't resurface.

"No one could see his body or anything, so then that's when people started diving underneath and trying to find him," Burbank recounted.

Burbank said his friend even jumped in to help.

"When he jumped down, he said he felt him but he had to come back up to get more air," Burbank said. "But then after that, he couldn't feel him again."

The Cache County Sheriff's office said they responded four minutes after the call came in. Boats and divers spent several hours pouring over the area around the cliffs, searching for the body.

Campers nearby said they noticed something was wrong. At one point, camper Cameron Shirra said he saw a group of teens talking to deputies at the incident command post.

"They were sitting there just crying... head in their hands," Shirra said. "And, it was just sobering to see that because you knew what they were going through."

The body was recovered later Friday evening.

Burbank said he and his friend talked about the incident, and how scary it was to see what could happen from jumping off the cliffs. He indicated that this situation will deter kids from jumping off those cliffs again.

"I feel really bad for the family, and hope for the best of them," he said.

Even though this is a popular spot, the Cache County Sheriff's office said "Big Toe" is in a restricted area.

"Our deepest condolences are with all those who are enduring this tragic incident," the press release from the sheriff's office states.